Food Safety Regulations Make News Again

In a recent Food Manufacturing article, Alaska legislator Tammie Wilson states that she, "wants to get rid of safety regulations for food sold by Alaska producers directly to consumers."  Ending these regulations would be for the benefit of growing the Alaska food industry in her opinion.  Wilson also says, "permits and expensive equipment are stifling local food development and consumers should take responsibility for what they eat."

Well then, there you have it.  Aren't food manufacturing safety regulations in place to protect consumers?  While I agree that regulations can be challenging and add additional expense, I don't believe that ridding the industry of all regulations is a solution.  And how exactly do I as a consumer take responsibility for what I eat?  I don't know how it's been handled or prepared.  Right now, if I buy food from a business I can trust they are operating under a certain sanitary environment and they are processing this food in a safe manner.  This is due to regulations.  Assuming that these regulations are "stifling" to the manufacturers, if the regulations are ended there's a strong possibility they would stop following the rules.  I'm not sure I want to purchase food from a company that makes up their own rules just to save money.  This solution seems like a slippery slope.

There are a number of ways businesses can save money other than cutting out the rules. For example, investing in the right food manufacturing ERP software can give your business the accurate, real-time information it needs to make better business decisions. O2 Food ERP software was developed specifically for food manufacturers and will give you the tools to operate more efficiently.  This food software also has the functionality to help manufacturers meet regulations, such as HACCP and lot tracking.

I'm sure it would be easy to rid the food industry of regulations for growths sake, but we need to be realistic and remember these regulations are there for the consumers protection.  Let's go back to the drawing board and find a solution that will help food manufacturers grow, while keeping consumers safe.

For more information on food manufacturing software, visit www.evs-sw.com.

Food ERP Software: Production, Efficiency & Inventory Management

Production, efficiency and inventory management are extremely important functions for food and beverage manufacturers.  Having the right food manufacturing software system can help you manage these key areas and more.

For example, O2 Food ERP software by EVS is a process manufacturing ERP software system developed specifically for the food manufacturing industry and is powered by Sage 500 ERP.  This food software program manages the complex and unique inventory requirements involving ever changing production planning, operational capacity scheduling, product expiration dates, batch yields and ingredient variability.  For effective inventory management, our food and beverage manufacturing ERP software provides tools to forecast product demand and inventory levels, to notify of product expiration, to manage product and ingredient specifications, quality control status and vendor certificates of analysis (C of A) and provides Business Intelligence tools for powerful, flexible and graphical management reporting.

The O2 Food ERP software operates the way you do and helps food and beverage manufacturers maximize R&D and production efficiency with multiple unit of measure calculations.  Production line constraints are typical bottle-necks in any food and beverage manufacturing environment; our food manufacturing ERP software provides finite capacity scheduling to optimize production schedule-based capacities and constraints of your plant.

For more information on O2 Food ERP software, visit www.evs-sw.com.

Safety, Compliance & Quality Control Through a Food ERP Software System

Food safety, regulatory compliance and quality control are issues at the heart of any food and beverage manufacturing company.  While regulations may continue to increase within this industry, there's no reason to let it be a trouble spot for your business with the technology available today.  Particularly, the ERP software made for the industry.

One problem often faced by food manufacturers is data spread out in different programs and locations.  For example, recipes may be kept in an Excel spreadsheet, quality control tests are kept in Microsoft Access, production scheduling maybe only on an office white board and nutritional labeling in a third party application.  This can make it extremely difficult, or at least inefficient, to get real-time data on your business, and this is one on many reasons to invest in a food software such as O2 Food ERP software.

Our food and beverage ERP software was developed specifically for the food and beverage manufacturing industry and will centralize information from all aspects of your organization.  By centralizing the information, you will be able to get real-time data and reduce the error prone manual tasks of compiling information from multiple sources. That's one location for keeping formulas secure, one location for nutritional calculations and reporting, and one location to track all of your product lots.

For more information on the food manufacturing software system O2 Food ERP, visit www.evs-sw.com.

ERP Software for the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Industry

While many process manufacturing industries have similarities, it's important to note the key differences in requirements when it comes to finding the right enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.  The food and beverage manufacturing industry has some unique requirements when it comes to regulations and operations, which cannot be overlooked.

At Escape Velocity Systems (EVS), they believe there are enough significant differences in many of the process manufacturing industries to require a separate ERP software for each of them, and in this case a specific food software system.  O2 Food and Beverage ERP software was developed to meet the unique needs of the food and beverage manufacturing industry, such as quality and regulatory requirements, strong customer demands and food manufacturing practices (cGMP).  With federal regulations increasing, the auditing and security features of this food ERP software will become extremely important to manufacturers.  In addition, our food manufacturing software can manage food safety concerns including HACCP and lot recalls easily.

Another reason for looking at a food manufacturing ERP software is due to the specific dynamics found in the food industry. This is a highly competitive industry with highly variable material costs, all of which can have a significant impact on revenue.  Our O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software will provide real-time access to information and data, offering a clear and accurate view of your entire enterprise.

There are many more reasons why a food and beverage manufacturer should have an industry specific software, so I encourage you to check out EVS website (www.evs-sw.com) for brochures, short videos and success stories for yourself.

Food Manufacturing Safety Viewed Differently by Food Manufacturers and Consumers

It seems as though a week doesn't pass by without another story in the news regarding food safety concerns in the U.S.  Whether it's a debate of future regulations, another food manufacturing recall or simply an article discussing the topic, it's everywhere.

This week is no different.  According to the recent article, there appears to be a large disconnect between how food manufacturers and consumers view the issue of food safety.  This doesn't surprise me.  While the majority of the food we eat is completely safe, the "bad apples" continuously make headlines.  For this reason, it seems completely understandable that consumers feel that food safety hasn't made improvements over the years.

The article also mentioned that in a recent study, "80 percent of manufacturers felt it is their responsibility to ensure and communicate product safety information to consumers." Thankfully, this statement demonstrates that the food manufacturing industry is willing to hold responsibility and have food safety be a large part of their operations.

There are a number of ways that food and beverage manufacturers can assist in food safety measures, and having the appropriate food software, such as O2 Food ERP software, in place is a huge benefit.  This food and beverage manufacturing ERP software is designed specifically for the industry and understands the key  components involved. Food ERP software is a great way for food manufacturers to track lots, manage formula security and it provides one-click lot recall.

For more information on what our process manufacturing ERP software made specifically for the food and beverage manufacturing industry can do to aid in your businesses food safety program, visit www.evs-sw.com.

Sage MAS 500 ERP Software Name Is Changed to Sage 500 ERP Software As Rebranding Is Underway

As announced at last years Sage Summit conference, a number of Sage's accounting/ERP software products names will be renamed.  As resellers of Sage ERP software, Escape Velocity Systems (EVS) wanted to be sure to let everyone know that the rebranding is now underway and Sage MAS 500 ERP will now be called Sage 500 ERP software.  All of the features and modules will remain the same, only the name will be slightly updated.  A full list of the product rebranding can be found here.

Sage 500 ERP software is the highly customizable Sage ERP system for mid-sized businesses, organizations and practices, typically larger companies with advanced requirements.  Sage 500 ERP is designed for robust financial needs, often requiring customization or higher degrees of configuration and optimization.  Sage 500 ERP is available with complementary CRM, Fixed Assets, and HRMS, plus specialty solutions for construction and real estate businesses and nonprofit organizations.  

Sage 500 ERP also offers solutions to those in the process manufacturing industries by integrating with O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software.  Industries served include food and beverage, bakery, chemical, life sciences and pharmaceutical, health/beauty and cosmetics and the metals industry.

For more information on Sage 500 ERP software or our O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software, visit the EVS website at www.evs-sw.com.

Federal Budgets a Cause for Food Manufacturing Increased Operating Costs and Food Safety Concerns?

It's no secret that the down economy has a wide-spread affect on the manufacturing industry.  More specifically, the food manufacturing industry faces highly variable material costs and increasing competition that is only highlighted by a slumping economy.  Now, it seems the costs of operating are positioned to increase again, according to a recent article.

The FDA is planning on implementing user fees to cover a budget increase in 2013. While this concept isn't entirely new, it will be something new for the food industry to endure. To add to the piling costs, budget cuts may also force food and beverage manufacturers to self-test or outsource testing of produce for food-bourne bacteria.  All of these factors can make a large impact on the food industry.

There is a solution to help with the financial impact of operating in this economy, positioning for the future rising costs as well as a way to help your food safety efforts.  Of course I'm talking about O2 Food ERP software by Escape Velocity Systems.  You may be thinking, why an ERP software system?

First of all, this food manufacturing ERP software system was designed with your specific industry in mind.  O2 Food and Beverage ERP software understands the unique industry needs, such as quality control, regulatory requirements and compliance with government auditing and security.

A food software system such as O2 can also provide real-time cost data helping you track material costs (including intermediates), labor, packaging and finished goods.  This real-time data can give you the insight into your business and give you the information needed to make sound business decisions.

Finally, our food processing ERP software can manage your food safety concerns, including HACCP and lot recalls with ease.  There is a good chance that food safety measures and preventions may soon become requirements of the food manufacturers themselves.  It's time to position your business to to handle these requirements, and O2 Food ERP and EVS can help you do just that.

For more information on our process manufacturing ERP software, visit our website at www.evs-sw.com.

Food ERP Software Can Help All Food Manufacturing Departments Collaborate and Succeed

I recently came across a food manufacturing article that really hit the nail on the head. In short, the author pointed out that when operating a business, the people actually performing certain tasks need to be consulted when making changes to their work, no matter if it's a process change or adding/removing resources.  It strikes me odd that this wouldn't be a normal practice.  Of course, those doing the work should be consulted when making changes to something in their operations in order to gather as much information as possible.  In my opinion, this concept also applies to the process manufacturing ERP software selection process and implementation as well.

Implementing a food and beverage manufacturing software solution such as O2 Food ERP software can give you enterprise-wide visibility.  With greater visibility, upper level management can get a larger picture of business operations.  However, some really critical data can be found on the operational level from those who are working on the floor. By drilling into the data provided by the food manufacturing ERP software and having conversations with the front line workers you can really streamline your business, reduce waste and conserve resources that affect the bottom line.

Next time you are contemplating an operational change to your business, (whether a process, resource or even implementing a food manufacturing ERP software solution) you'll always be at an advantage to consult those working directly in the field.  They may just make the difference in the projects success, and ultimately, your company's success.

For more information on O2 Food and Beverage ERP software, visit the EVS website at www.evs-sw.com.

O2 Bakery ERP Software Provides Tools To Streamline Your Business In Any Economic Environment

For a long stretch now, the economy has been a hot topic of conversation.  Whether you're involved in an industry that is still feeling the pinch or if you're finally seeing an upswing, most can agree the economic uncertainty still affects us all in many ways.

For those involved in food manufacturing, or more specifically the commercial baking industry, it's no secret that this industry has many variables that are difficult to predict. Commercial bakers are often faced with highly variable material costs and ever-changing regulatory requirements.  These are unpredictable challenges that can affect profitability.

While the baking industry may be faced with these challenges beyond their direct control, there are a number of ways a commercial bakery can provide some control and visibility to a business.  One great example of this is by investing in an industry-specific bakery management software, such as O2 Bakery ERP software by EVS.

EVS's bakery software was designed specifically for the commercial bakery and food manufacturing industries.  This process manufacturing software system can manage your most complex and unique inventory requirements, such as ever-changing production planning and scheduling.  Our bakery management ERP software provides real-time access to information throughout your entire organization, all while assisting with allergen management and maximizing production efficiency with Bakers Percentage calculations.  This is the type of system you need to gain an accurate picture of your business and make the best business decisions.

Even thought the economy may continue to be volatile, you can do something positive for your business today by using a food manufacturing software such as O2 Bakery ERP. EVS has helped commercial bakeries just like you streamline their operations.  Find out for yourself by visiting us online at www.evs-sw.com.